When it comes to Canadian pro football, Julie Van Rosendaal is the first to admit she’s more of a bandwagon jumper than regular cowbell-shaking fan.

“I hate that I’m the fair-weather type,” she says, “but my husband Mike follows it all season long, so he makes up for me.”

When it comes to Grey Cup-watching eats, though, few can hold a candle to the famed local foodie. “It’s all about the food,” says Van Rosendaal, a longtime Herald Swerve contributor, CBC food guide and cookbook author who counts more than 20,000 followers of her @dinnerwithjulie Twitter handle (you can also find her recipes online.

“You need a mix of savoury and sweet, but not just your regular potato chips and Doritos,” says Van Rosendaal, who, instead of her usual “crazy over the top nachos,” this year is planning a pork poutine pigout for her family’s watching of the 105th Grey Cup, a matchup between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts.

“Also, it’s good to have foods with crunch,” she says, adding with a laugh, “to go along with beer.”

When we speak in the hours leading up to the big game for Canadian football fans, Van Rosendaal’s household isn’t the only one getting charged up for Grey Cup Sunday.

Across the city, fans are planning at-home parties, while others are booking tables at any watering hole with a few respectable-sized TV screens.

Those wanting to see the game in person have been jumping on planes and hopping into their cars and trucks, whether those folks are Stampeders fans or the usual coterie of green-covered Saskatchewan Roughrider fans who, no matter who’s in the Grey Cup each November, usually outnumber all other CFL fans in the host city.

Still, speaking as one who’s seen the phenomenon up close, there is nothing quite like the spectacle of the Grey Cup Festival, or the Calgary contingent when it descends upon other unsuspecting Canadians in the days leading up to kickoff time.

“We’re here to bring the tradition of western hospitality to the Grey Cup,” says Sandy Dubyk, the spokesman for the Calgary Grey Cup Committee, the crew that’s been bringing flapjacks, square dancing and horse-in-hotel lobby shenanigans to the Grey Cup for more than a half-century.

“We’ve got our red jackets on, we’re branding, we’re high-fiving the people of Ottawa this week,” says Dubyk, who has joined more than 60 other members of his committee to charge up the five-day Grey Cup party that is part and parcel of the game each year.

It’s not all just fun and games, says Dubyk, who, when he isn’t serving up breakfast to strangers, works in the dean’s office at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. “We are trying to build community all across the country,” he says, noting that a few of his committee members have been volunteering for more than 40 years, paying their own way each November to be a part of the team.

“How many people can afford to bring their whole family across the country to the Calgary Stampede?” says Dubyk, who notes his team gets financial support from both the City of Calgary and the Calgary Stampede. “It’s something really special and we all love being a part of it.”

Doug Mitchell is another Calgarian who joins hundreds of his fellow citizens at the Grey Cup each year, even when his beloved Stampeders aren’t in the big game.

“We don’t have a lot of things that we as Canadians celebrate on a national level,” says the Calgary lawyer, former CFL commissioner and husband of Alberta’s lieutenant-governor, Lois Mitchell.

“It’s not just about the game on Sunday,” adds Mitchell, who’s also a part-owner of the Calgary Stampeders. “It is a slice of Canadiana we share, and I really appreciate how so many new Canadians are getting into it.”

Having been lucky enough to have a few Grey Cup writing assignments under my belt over the decades, I, too, have seen firsthand the camaraderie, kindness and fun of the Grey Cup Festival and game. It’s no surprise to see, year after year, Canadian pro football fans travel across the country in the thousands to participate in the festival.

This year, though, I’ll be watching the game at home, with my Stampeders-loving spouse (a season-ticket holder of more than a decade), along with friends who either love the game or just enjoy hanging out with football fans and plates full of lasagne and potato chips.

That’s exactly what Julie Van Rosendaal and her home crew will be doing, albeit a tad more gourmet-focused.

“You can’t help but get pulled into the excitement,” says Van Rosendaal, who adds with a laugh, “and for those relatives who aren’t that much into the game, I make sure I always have really good food on hand.”

Set a heavy, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of oil. Pat the pork dry with paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper; brown the meat on all sides. Push it to the side (or remove it and set it aside) and add the onion to the pot; cook for a few minutes, until starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Return the meat to the pan and add the stock and barbecue sauce. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 1/2-3 hours—or put everything into a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

When the meat is done, pull it apart with two forks right in the pot, and turn the oven up to 425˚F. Cut the potatoes into even sticks and spread out on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle generously with oil, toss with your hands to coat the wedges well and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden.

Top the fries with warm beef and sauce and cheese curds. Serve immediately.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Market to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.